I nodded, unable to speak. The lump in my throat was too much, too big, too sticky.
There were probably a thousand people on this beach. Every one of them was screaming and dancing except me.
The only thing we had in common was that every single one of us was falling in love with Conor right now.
But I was not falling for the first time.
The flutters in my stomach, the relentless pounding of my heart, the quick, sharp breaths, they were not new to me.
I was falling in love with him, all over again.
Forever’s just a dream, somethin’ to imagine,
Don’t deny me ’cause it hurts, don’t fight it ’cause it burns,
You know you want me, I’ll give you everythin’,
All I got to give, if you give to me . . .
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Leah said above the noise of the screams. “It’s always you, isn’t it?&rdquo
“You’re crazy,” she whispered.“Only for you.” I kept swaying her hips, and she settled her hands on mine, shaking her head.I slid my hands around to her stomach and her hips still. “Why’d you come back?”“I needed to be the only person who loves you after that.”“They ain’t in love with me. They’re in love with my voice.”“Yeah, that’ll explain the panties that got caught on your mic stand.”“Yeah, that happens sometimes. Aiden puts the ones with numbers on them in his pocket. Obviously he never calls them because he has no idea who he’s calling, but still. They hope.”She shook her head. “It’s a whole other life, ain’t it? What you have away from Santa Monica. I don’t think I realized it fully until today. Some chick near us drove up from freakin’ Texas because she missed all your tour dates there.”“They’re crazy, but in the best kind of way ”“Crazy freaky. Crazy obsessive. Crazy relentless.”“I like your crazy beautiful better,” I reassured her. “Your crazy was made just for me.
I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I couldn’t believe I was about to get on a freakin’ tour bus and be their damn part-time PA until they can hire a full-time one. I swear that was Conor’s ulterior motive. He denied it, but I think he’s full of shit. “Bus, Mama!” Milka squealed as I lifted her out of the car. “Big bus!” “Sure is, baby girl. You wanna go on the big bus?” “Yeah!” She grabbed for it. “You can’t play with it, Milka.” Conor laughed from behind us, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing us both. “You can live on it for a while, though.” She gasped in her overdramatic way. “Bunna, too?” “Bunna, too.” “And Dadda?” “Yep.” “And Mama?” She looked at me. “And Mama,” I clarified. Just how it should be. The three of us together, the way it should have always been. I knew Conor still hadn’t forgiven me entirely, and that was okay. He didn’t have to forgive me. I didn’t hold it against him, because we had trust now. He trusted that I wouldn’t run, and I trusted t
This chapter focuses on Conor's brother Aiden and his Secret Lover Elena.After escaping her abusing fiance during the wedding plans Elena applies for a job with the Dirty J. band on their tour in hopes of escaping her past lover and the abuses. during her time with the band she falls in love with Aiden one of the band members and conors brother. Will she be able to escape the past and hide it or will Aiden find out?ELENAThe Deep South—right now, it was all rolling green fields, cowboy boots, and barbecue. A million miles away from the bustling streets of Upper Arizon that I had lived in my whole life. The numerous state parks, the lakes, the mountains—they were all alien to me.And they were all, thankfully, so much more charming than endless summers.I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel and glanced at the clock on the dashboard.I was supposed to prepare for my wedding in five days.Yep. I was that girl. The runaway bride, the jilter, the disappearing act.I fully expect
This was truly crazy. I didn’t know the first thing about managing a band, much less four twenty something guys, and I sure as hell am not used to living on a bus and out of hotels. And if Martin finds out? I am done for. I am so, so done.I should probably run out of that door right away before Chloe got down. I should have probably run and make up some crazy lie about needing to drive to get something for the wedding and leaving my phone at home.Only . . . I couldn’t. I made my bed the second I drove away from the Diazs, and now I had to lie in it. No matter how uncomfortable the mattress.“Hi! Are you Elena?”I looked up at a blond-haired girl holding a toddler on her hip. From TMZ, I recognized the little girl instantly as Conor James’s daughter and the woman holding her as her mom.“Yeah. Hi.” I stood awkwardly.“Hi! I’m Chloe.” Chloe grinned and placed the little girl down. “Milka, stay here, okay?”“’Kay.” Milka followed it up by tottering across the lobby with a dolly trailin
“Hey, Elena? Are you ready? Apparently my daughter is screaming the place down for her pizza.”“Oh, yes. Sorry. Just . . . I don’t know.” I shrugged a shoulder and followed Chloe into the elevator.She glanced at me knowingly. “Scared?”“Uh, not in the way you’d think.” I smiled reluctantly. Because I was not.I was not afraid to meet America’s hottest crush. I was afraid to be in a room full of several men I had never met in my life, which was ridiculous, because I was not in danger here. I was safe, hidden away, in a world entirely different from my own.But my body wanted me to look over my shoulder, just in case.“They’re not bad. Well, most of the time. I promise. Come on.” She took my hand with a beaming grin and opened the door to the private dining room. Noise filled it—laughter, toddler giggles, loud, booming male voices—but they all silenced when Chloe yelled, “Hey! Hey!”Four sets of eyes landed on us.“Now y’all better be nice or I’m gonna kick some butt,” she said firmly,
AIDENLong, dark hair. Mesmerizingly dark eyes. Pouty pink lips. A soft jaw. Eyelashes longer than a doll’s.And a really great fucking pair of tits.This was my new PA? And I was expected not to fuck her. Good job, Chloe. Good damn job.I approached her, this Elena, and stopped in front of her. Her eyes climbed up my body until they met mine, and she held my gaze steadily. No wavering, no lip quivering, no blushing. If it wasn’t for the way her tongue was flicking against her bottom lip, I’d say she couldn’t give a shit she was standing in front of me.“Elena,” I said slowly, trying her name out. It rolled off my tongue perfectly. “Hey.”“Hello,” she replied demurely, holding my gaze for a second longer.Demure. Shit. I didn’t do demure. But then again, I couldn’t do her, so what does it matter?“You think you can keep up with a rocker’s lifestyle?”“I’ll give it my best shot.”My lips tugged to the side. “I’m sure you will, darlin’. Are you used to showin’ girls out of hotel rooms?”
“That, too. No—she’s quiet, don’t you think? I just tried bein’ a nice little boss and she fucked me off.”“That’s because you’re a jackass,” Bray said. “Watch and learn.” He turned his attention from me to Elena and tapped her arm.Slowly, she faced him with a hesitant smile. “Yes?”“Where’d you go to college?” Bray dove right in. “Sorry,” he added when she blinked harshly. “Just wanted to know more about you. That’s all.” He followed his words with a charming smile, and she relaxed.“Oh, I’m sorry. It caught me off guard.” She straightened in her chair. “I studied at Oxford and am preparing for school.”Conor choked on his beer. “No way. What the fuck are you doin’ here sortin’ our shit out for?”“Bad Dadda!” Milka gasped, pointing her finger at Conor. “Bad!”Elena’s smile widened, just a little. “I needed a change of scenery.”Dirty little liar.“All the boys in Los Angelkes too clean cut for you, darlin’?” I asked across the table.“Actually,” she responded calmly, folding her nap
“When you wake up tomorrow there’ll be a phone and credit card in reception waitin’ for you, and you will take it. And, Elena?” I cupped her jaw and forced her eyes upward. They crashed into mine, blazing with annoyance, and I tilted my face toward hers, enjoying the hitch in her breath. “For someone concerned about my manners, you have a serious lack of them. When I talk to you, you fuckin’ look at me. Understand?”Wordlessly, she stepped back, and I let my hand fall. She nodded once, quickly, and yanked on the door handle. She disappeared inside the room in a split second, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall, staring at the closed white door.Wondering why the fuck her annoyed gaze was riddled with fear.The Stadium was in darkness except for the stage. Silence filled the stands, but the first few rows and stage were, again, a different story. Final practices were always fucking crazy, because there was always something that needed changing before tomorrow’s sound check.Li